


Last Resort

by Cid_Raines



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Insanity, Mental Breakdown, Mental Torture, Self Harm, Self Loathing, Torture, Tragedy, god i love ravus, kingsglaive ravus??? whos that, loving luna, poor ravus, ravus needs love, self blame, this makes me sa, will add tags as I go along
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-25
Updated: 2017-04-19
Packaged: 2018-10-10 15:16:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10440720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cid_Raines/pseuds/Cid_Raines
Summary: Ravus didn't want to join the Empire, but in the end, he had no choice.





	1. Chapter 1

"Ravus!"

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret leapt to her feet and panic flared within her as she locked eyes with the disgusting Caligo Ulldor, who was wearing a hellish smirk. Dangling from his grip was Ravus, who was bloodied and bruised- with his arm bent in an entirely unnatural manner.

Ravus raised his hetechromatic eyes, one of which was blackened. His eyes were filled with tears, and when he spoke, his voice was choked.

"Glory... to the Empire..."

Lunafreya recoiled in shock, and Caligo roared with laughter, and dropped him to the ground.

"Good boy," he purred. "Finally showing some respect to your saviours. We're getting there."

Luna ran in front of her brother, who was clutching his twisted arm and sobbing, and threw her arms out in front of him in a defensive gesture.

"Leave him alone," she said, her voice cold. "You've done enough!"

Caligo snorted in derision. "Hardly. The Chancellor has plans for you, Ravus Nox Fleuret. He certainly didn't want you killed, anyway. I'll be back first thing tomorrow morning- maybe we'll get closer to persuading you."

"I'll... never... join... you..." Ravus coughed. 

Caligo smiled. "How sweet. We'll see."

And with that, he swept out of the room, leaving Lunafreya standing alone with her older brother. Ravus was shivering violently, and tears were streaming down his cheeks.

He really was a sight to behold. He had been so badly damaged he could barely speak without stuttering.

"G-Gods, I-I-I'm sorry, Luna," he whispered, his voice quaking with guilt and sadness. "I'm- I'm so sorry."

Lunafreya shook her head viciously, feeling her eyes burn. "Don't you dare apologise. It is not your fault. None of this is!"

Ravus made a pained noise as he shifted his arm. "I am too weak to protect you... Mother would be so disappointed in me."

"No, Ravus, Mother would be so proud of you. So unbelievably proud," Lunafreya whispered softly. "But Brother, I implore you- please give this up."

A look of surprise flashed across Ravus's face. "What- What do you mean?"

"Join the Imperial Army," Lunafreya said quietly, resting a hand on Ravus's arm, feeling him flinch away from her. "Or they will kill you."

"Absolutely not," Ravus said at once, his voice cracking somewhat. "I-I do not c-care about what happens to me. I only- I only care about you. They can do w-what they want to me."

Lunafreya wrapped her arms gently around her older brother, feeling him quake with anxiety. "If you wish to save me, then joining them is the only way to do so."

"I won't- I won't join my mother's killers!"

Lunafreya laid her chin on top of Ravus's head. "It is the only way to keep us both safe. They will kill you, Ravus."

"I don't care-"

"But I do. I care about you more than anything else in the world, Brother. I beg of you. Agree to their demands. Join their army. If you gain a position of power, you may be able to tear them down."

Ravus was looking at her in an agonized way, but she did not move her gaze- she held her ground firmly.

"But... Mother..."

"Ravus," Luna murmured. "Mother would do the same if she were in your position."

Ravus was crying openly. Ever since his mother's death, he had been feeling so much at once, and his pain had mounted so high he was losing the sensation of it. He did not want to agree to Lunafreya, but, as he looked into her eyes, he realised that... that...

"It is the only way," Luna whispered, her fingers stroking his hair.

Ravus counted to ten, and then closed his eyes.

"Anything... for you."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is part two of this little Ravus story I'm doing- started from a one-shot and goddamn it I am going to be continuing this for god knows how long so enjoy

 Her scream died on her lips as the enormous blade penetrated her chest. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked down at the sword protruding from her heart, and for a moment, she seemed to realise what had happened. For a second, she looked at him, and there was pure fear in her eyes- fear of _him,_ of what he had done- and revulsion, and shock- and then the light that had burned so brightly in her eyes for so many years faded away, and her body went slack.

 His mind was in freefall, spinning out of control before his very eyes as his grip loosened on the hilt of the sword. He stared at her lifeless corpse, dangling senselessly at the end of his blade- and the world seemed to slow down around him. He watched as she slid to the ground, falling forwards like a marionette whose strings had been cut, with none of the grace she had possessed during her fair life. He placed the tip of the blade on her back, and in one swift movement, shoved it deep into her body- and felt a surge of insanity as the blood sprayed around him, droplets of it landing on his face. His mouth opened, and he began to laugh, emitting a mirthless and manic cackle that was not his-

 “Ravus!”

 He was screaming. Raw fear had seized him and had erased any sort of rationality from his mind. Distantly, he could hear a voice calling out to him, but he was lost within his own mind, quite beyond reason. He could hear his mother’s voice calling out to him- “ _I love you, son”_ \- could still see the terror in her eyes, could still her crumpled form on the ground beneath his feet. _My fault. My fault. It’s all my fault-_

 “Brother, please!”

 Ravus’s body was shaking violently, and as his eyes slid open slowly, his vision was blurred. He felt a vicious stab of pain in his right arm as the world began to come into focus. He gave a gasping sob as he saw a pair of blue eyes peering down at him, filled with fear and worry. Lunafreya was leaning over him, holding his left hand, stroking his palm gently with her thumb, as she had always done when he had suffered terrible nightmares during their childhood.

 “It was not real,” Lunafreya promised him, her voice trembling slightly. “It was only a dream.”

 Ravus squeezed his eyes shut, but hot tears still managed to spill down his cheeks. His broken arm was screaming in agony, and his head was throbbing with alarming force, but the soothing tone of Lunafreya’s voice and her gentle stroking managed to calm him, if only a little. He could still recall his dream with vividity, as he could do with most of his nightmares- and every time the images crept back into his mind, he felt his heart pound and ache. He forced himself to listen to his younger sister’s voice, to allow her gentle presence to soothe him.

 Soon, the terror began to fade away, and reality returned to Ravus. He was lying in the cold cell that had been assigned to the Nox Fleuret siblings, as they were kept prisoners in their own home. He opened his eyes again, seeing only grey, and heard the annoyed voices of the guards sounding from outside the cell.

 “The little bastard woke me up again with his fuckin’ screaming. Shall I go in there and teach him a lesson?” one grunted loudly.

 Lunafreya instantly moved into a defensive position, shifting so she was standing in front of Ravus. Ravus only smiled bitterly at the threat, knowing that by now their beatings meant nothing to him.

 “Nah, leave ‘im, Caligo’ll do the job just fine,” another said. “Reckon he’ll break another arm?”

 “I hope so. Teach the fucking runt not to be so damned disrespectful,” the first grunt grumbled. Lunafreya looked disgusted, but slowly returned to his side once it became apparent that the soldiers were not going to come into the cell.

 “They live out of pure spite,” she said, shaking her head. “But I suppose they all do.”

 Ravus looked at her sadly. She was still a young child, not old enough to know so much about human nature. The experiences of the past few weeks had hardened her, turned her from an twelve year old into a mature young woman. It was wrong. Wrong that her childhood, that had already been tarnished by her duties as Oracle, had been snatched from her so ungraciously by the imperial army.

 “Are you alright, Lunafreya?” he asked, wincing at the hoarseness of his voice. His throat hurt from screaming, so his words came out in a weak rasp. Lunafreya nodded at him bravely, wearing a small but reassuring smile.

 “I am fine,” she said softly. “I only wish you were, too.”

 Judging by the state of her, Lunafreya had not been physically handled. Perhaps not as much as Ravus had. It made sense. Lunafreya was the Oracle, and her good health was more precious to them than Ravus’s life was. Ravus meant nothing to them. The only reason they even kept him alive was probably for sheer amusement.

 “There- there is nothing to worry about,” he assured her, weakly, before attempting to prop himself up onto one elbow, to try and sit up straight. He wobbled dangerously before dropping back to the ground with a small gasp of pain. Lunafreya reached out to him, taking hold of his broken arm by mistake, and at Ravus’s cry, she let go immediately, guilt written over her face.

 “I’m so sorry!” she said. “I wish- I wish there was something I could do to help that. I have attempted to heal it, but I was unable to do it. I’m sorry.”

 “It is not your fault. Blame Caligo,” Ravus said, with an attempt at a brave smile. Even that hurt. "He seems to hold a grudge against me."

 "He is an awful, awful man," Lunafreya said, with a shudder of contempt. "I would never have thought there would be someone I would hate more than General Glauca-"

Ravus winced at the sound of the name, the image of a gargantuan imperial soldier with his enormous sword flashing through his mind. Lunafreya noticed his flinch, and stopped.

"He's got nothing but hate in him. He's heartless," she finished softly. 

At that exact moment, the door to the cell was flung open, and the man himself strode into the room. Ravus smiled bitterly to himself- _speak of the devil,_ he thought, _literally_.

 The imperial commander perhaps did not know the meaning of the word subtlety, but he did know how to cause pain. In one brisk movement, he seized Ravus by his injured arm, ignoring the boy’s scream. His cold, sharp eyes were filled with the kind of feral amusement that only came with torturing people.

 Lunafreya jumped to her feet indignantly, shouting her protest, but they both knew there was nothing she could do. “Leave him _alone_ -”

 “Be still, little girl,” Caligo snarled, before backhanding her across the face. The force of the blow was enough to send the girl flying across the room, landing on the floor with a thud. Ravus kicked out at Caligo furiously, because he was not going to allow the bastard to hurt his little sister, but Caligo seized him in a choke hold, effectively cutting off his air supply.

 “Today won’t be quite as you expected,” he said silkily, laughing at the sight of the boy choking and writhing in his hands. "Would you like to guess what I have in store for you?"

"Just- tell- me!" Ravus shouted, gasping desperately for breath. He could feel the heat rushing to his face, and his head had begun to pound because of the lack of air.

“The Chancellor himself has requested to see you," he said, with levity. "Would you be so kind as to pay him a visit?”

 Ravus could detect the sarcasm positively dripping from the man’s voice- of course Ravus had no choice in the matter. He felt a sudden surge of panic. Why would the Chancellor of the Empire of all people want to see him? Perhaps he was going to be killed? If so, why had they not done it earlier? He cast a desperate glance at Lunafreya, who was cradling her face and looking up at Caligo in fear, but she did not move from her spot.

 “It’s unfortunate, really, I was looking forward to having today with you. Ah well, perhaps tomorrow,” Caligo sighed melodramatically, loosening his grip on Ravus’s throat so the boy did not pass out. “I’m assuming the Chancellor wishes to persuade you to do what I have also been attempting to persuade you to do. I wish you the best of luck with him. He is perhaps not as benevolent as I am.”

 “I won’t!” Ravus yelled. Any man worse than Caligo was a man not worth facing. Death would be more welcoming than Caligo. “Let-go-of-me!”

 He struggled against Caligo’s iron grip, but it was futile. To silence him, Caligo slammed a fist into his stomach, winding him completely. Ravus looked at Luna, who shook her head at him, tears spilling down her cheeks. _Do it. Obey them._

 Ravus recalled the conversation they had the day before, remembering his sister’s plea for him to give into the Empire’s demands. Channelling all of his willpower, he forced himself to relax his muscles, giving control to Caligo, which the other man seemed to be mildly surprised by. Ravus gave his sister as reassuring a look as he could, wanting to comfort her, but he was not sure how convincing it was.

He was frightened. No, he was more than frightened. He was utterly and completely terrified. He was sure that death would be coming for him- and although he knew he deserved it, although he knew he was not worth as much as Lunafreya was, he still felt that primal fear that came with the thought of death, and he was ashamed of himself for it. He hung his head, ceasing his fight, blinking back the tears of embarrassment and shame that had begun to form in his eyes.

 “That's a lot better, Ravus. So, we must be making our way,” Caligo said smoothly. “Lady Lunafreya, please _do_ excuse us.”

He bowed mockingly., increasing the pressure on Ravus’s broken arm, forcing him to do the same. Lunafreya’s shoulders were shaking. _I’m sorry,_ she mouthed at him. _I’m so sorry._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor, poor Ravus. Poor Ravus. PooR rAvuS. he will not be receiving good treatment in this, needless to say, as we all know how his story ends. God I'm so sad. So sad. The angst overload will be unbearable. don't read this after the sylleblossoms and hope fluff fest because it'll make you very sad


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for the long wait and the short chapter (but next chapter it gets good! I promise!! juicy!!) but I've returned to school and had the holidays and got pretty preoccupied! Also I started playing Final Fantasy X for the first time (and it's so fucking brilliant I'm going to start the fics about that asap lol) and that kind of diverted my FFXV focus. Anyhow, hope you enjoy the chapter!

Ravus couldn’t remember a time where he had not been afraid.

Fear had followed him throughout his life. Fear that everything would go wrong. Fear that those he loved were constantly in danger. Fear that he was going to die. Ravus had been resolutely haunted by terror since his childhood, and it had never ceased. He doubted it ever would. He couldn’t imagine his life without crushing paranoia. It was like imagining a world without oxygen.

He didn’t hate his fear. Rather, he had learnt to embrace it. It kept him on his toes. He was constantly alert and careful because of it. He felt as if he had grown stronger facing terror over and over again.

When the invaders had dropped in Tenebrae, he had experienced a new kind of fear. His paranoia was no longer the result of delusional thinking- it was reality. He had watched his mother collapse upon General Glauca’s sword and had come to the realisation that everything he had once been so afraid of was possibly about to all come true in a single day.

The nightmares would never end. And now something maybe even worse than everything he had faced was awaiting him.

Ravus was jerked from his troubled thoughts (quite literally) by Caligo’s arms dragging him upright. The commander really was huge. Ravus had always been known for being unnaturally tall, but Caligo towered over him, and boasted far more muscle- if he really tried, he could break Ravus’s thin body in half. Ravus didn’t even doubt the possibility. He had snapped Ravus’s arm easily enough.

“Stand straight,” Caligo snarled. “You’re about to meet the Chancellor of Nifleheim, show some goddamned respect.”

“Fuck you,” Ravus muttered very quietly, straightening his back (while suppressing a groan of pain). Caligo’s eyes narrowed.

“That’s not straight enough,” Caligo growled.

“I’m standing as straight as I fucking can!”

“Why, you little-”

Before Caligo could throttle Ravus, a silky voice called out from behind the door they were standing at. It had the insignia of the Empire blazoned onto it- something that had certainly not been there before.

“Do come in!”

 Caligo grabbed Ravus by the collar, threw open the door and flung him bodily into the room. Pain flared all across his body as he made contact with the hard marble floor, but he kept his wild profanity as internal as he could.

Ravus glanced up. He was standing in (or lying on the floor of) what looked like the office of an important person. Official looking papers were stacked everywhere. A television was playing lightly in the background. It was all very clean and warm.

Almost like a different world completely.

“The imperial army have not given any notice since their impromptu invasion of Tenebrae, now four months ago. The prince and the Oracle have not been heard from. They are presumed to be dead, as well as Queen Sylva of Tenebrae…”

“Hm.”

Ravus’s eyes travelled up slowly. Sitting in a luxurious looking chair with wheels was a tall and lanky man, with a mane of burgundy coloured hair and strange amber eyes. His ensemble truly was odd- he seemed to be wearing seven scarves, all draped around his neck delicately, and he had a fedora balanced on his head. Ravus watched in fascination as the man spun around in his seat, twirling his finger, and then he stopped abruptly.

“Four months. Time flies, doesn’t it?”

Ravus didn’t quite know what to say in response to this ridiculous looking man. Caligo dug his fingers into Ravus’s injured arm, making him grunt in pain, and pulled him ungraciously to his feet.

“Now, Caligo, there’s no need for hostility,” the man chided. Ravus wanted to snort aloud, but he was too tired to even manage silent laughter. Telling Caligo not to be hostile… Was it even worth the effort?

The strange man (the Chancellor, Ravus presumed) got to his feet, sending his chair flying backwards in a dramatic fashion, and took off his fedora, placing it against his chest. The expression on his face was solemn as he walked in front of his desk, his amber eyes examining Ravus thoroughly. Ravus’s eyes focused on the wall behind the Chancellor as he approached, because he just couldn’t meet that intense gaze.

The Chancellor swept himself into an elegant bow before Ravus. Ravus stared at him in stunned silence.

“Prince Ravus,” the Chancellor murmured. “It is… truly an honour. Izunia. Ardyn Izunia.”

 He extended a hand. Ravus stared at it for a few seconds, but after a violent prod from Caligo, he shakily took it, not quite sure what the fuck was going on. Ardyn Izunia gripped his hand gently and shook it three times, slowly and carefully. Ravus could only blink.

“I have heard plenty about you,” Ardyn said softly. “Our brave, rebellious young man has been stirring up quite some trouble.”

Ravus bristled uncomfortably as Ardyn’s long, nimble fingers locked around his jaw, stroking the stubble that had grown there. He wanted to pull away, but he knew he was in charge of nothing when it came to these situations.

“Such beautiful eyes,” Ardyn purred. The tension seemed to last for several long, agonising moments, and Ravus wanted so desperately to leave the room before he broke into many little pieces. The man was reading his thoughts. He was doing something to Ravus. He bit his lip and resisted the urge to lash out as Ardyn continued to gaze at him as if he was some sort of monster, before Ardyn simply let go of him abruptly and took a step backwards.

Caligo was smirking. “Don’t get too attached, Chancellor. You know what happened to your last plaything.”

_Plaything?_ Ravus thought. He had never felt so uncomfortable in his life. Even Caligo’s beatings were more pleasant than Ardyn’s prying fingers.

“Perhaps I shall be more careful this time,” Ardyn murmured. “My dear Caligo. Would you mind leaving Ravus and I alone for a while? It seems we have a lot to talk about.”

_No,_ Ravus thought. _Don’t leave me alone with him._

He was hoping Caligo would stay in the room. How strange.

Caligo simply leered and took a bow. “Why, of course, Chancellor. Enjoy yourself.”

Ardyn smiled at him in return, while Ravus trembled slightly. He didn’t understand their exchange of looks. He didn’t understand the glance Caligo gave him. The glance that read amusement, and perhaps… was it… no, it couldn’t be… pity?

“Sick fuck,” he heard Caligo murmur softly, as he left the room. Ardyn’s lips quirked up.

Ravus swallowed. He had still not spoken a word since he had been thrown into the room. His voice seemed to be lost. Ardyn placed his hands on Ravus's cheeks, tilting his head upwards.

“Now then,” Ardyn said lightly. “Let’s talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Constructive criticism as always would be wonderful, thanks and hope you enjoyed it!! Xx (Also- I'm so gratified at the response I've gotten for this small idea of mine. I hope I continue to satisfy you all!) ALSO- Check out Sylva's Revenge by Shiary! It's a really good read that was inspired by this fic!! Wow!!!


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